Ukrainian drones hit a major Russian steel factory overnight, causing a large fire, a Kyiv source said on Saturday, the second anniversary of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Reuters reports.
The governor of Russia's Lipetsk region identified the plant as one in the city of Lipetsk, some 400 km (250 miles) north of the Ukrainian border, that is responsible for about 18% of Russian steel output.
He said a fire apparently caused by a drone strike had been extinguished at the plant, operated by Russian steelmaker Novolipetsk (NLMK), and there had been no casualties.
The Ukrainian source told Reuters the attack, a joint operation by GUR military intelligence and the SBU security service, had caused a major fire and staff had been evacuated.
"Raw materials from this enterprise are used to manufacture Russian missiles, artillery, drones. Therefore, it is a legitimate goal for Ukraine," the source said, without specifying the location of the plant.
Video posted on social media purporting to be from Lipetsk showed an explosion, with a orange flames illuminating the nighttime sky.
Russian authorities said Ukrainian drones had been downed over the Lipetsk, Kursk and Tula regions overnight.
